San Dionisio

At the end of the last week we made our way into the mountain community of San Dionisio in the Sierra La Lagunas, which was designated as a biosphere reserve in 1994. We wanted to learn the impacts the biosphere designation has had on the ranching families living in the area, and how they have effectively taken advantage of ecotourism and other entrepreneurial opportunities.

Driving up into the mountains, we quickly realized that San Dionisio is an incredible place, a paradise, really. Amidst the vastness of the desert—the mountains, sand, and endless variety of cacti—water from the mountains’ aquifers trickles down through the arroyo, creating a lush environment for giant palms, fruits, fig trees, vegetables, and a unique traditional lifestyle dedicated to hard work, familial ties, stewardship of the land, and economic survival.

We were hosted by a wonderful family, who recently opened up a restaurant and camping area where we stayed for two nights just up the dirt road from their home. Luz, the mother, taught us how to make tortillas, and her son, Rojelio, proudly gave us a tour of their breathtaking huerta (orchard/garden) where they are growing and raising almost all of the food they need. We wandered the organically twisting paths while admiring the hand-spliced orange and mandarin trees and tasted native herbs, such as the espelente, which makes your tongue go numb and is used medicinally for sewing up wounds.

Mila flipping the lopsided tortillas we made... "round" is an art!

Ricky doing ranch chores and Rojelio giving us an orchard tour.

Under the shade of palapas and mango trees, we interviewed other several community members living up and down the arroyo (desert wash); some families dried mangoes, guavas and pineapples to sell, while others sold beef and had modest, thatched roof accommodations for tourists to stay. One group of women began growing native cactus in a nursery to sell, and an elderly man, named Claudio, was the community’s master leather worker, who helped each of us to craft a leather wrist band of our own. Each family works very hard, attempting to protect the environment while crafting their own entrepreneurial niche—independent of each other yet very much connected and symbiotic on the whole, just like a desert ecosystem.

Mangoes drying on palms

Claudio using the juice of an orange to lighten the color of the leather

We really got a sense of how different generations view the ranching lifestyle—mothers’ hopes for their children, children’s dreams for their futures, grandparents’ visions for the wisdom and kind of life they would like to leave behind for future generations. It was sad to think of all that could possibly be lost here if the children do not stay engaged with this lifestyle in some way. We spoke at length with the community’s eldest woman who feared there were not enough young people interested in sustaining the sierra ranchero culture. Yet, we also learned that educated adolescents were coming back to the ranch, bringing with them their technological, marketing, and tourism skills. It was exciting and inspiring to see the youth beginning to consider the economic value of their land and culture.

We learned mucho and had a lot of fun in the process. McKenzie, Mila, and Diana did an excellent job interviewing and translating for Colleen while she videotaped, and Colleen’s Spanish is coming along steadily with a lot of encouragement from the community members. She’s working on making sentences and was able to describe her morning ritual to the family: Primero yo encontre una piedra plano para yoga, entonces yo nade en una cascada (First I found a flat rock for yoga, and then I swam in a waterfall). McKenzie enjoyed her contemplative morning runs up the dirt road, soaking up the multiple layers of periwinkle mountain ranges. Life starts early, with the roosters calling and community members out maintaining the road before the sun comes up. Mila spent her peaceful early mornings reading and drinking tea, and even got a chance to shower in a mini waterfall with only a cow keeping her company!

Stay tuned for more details of our “business week” in La Paz as we get ready to head up to Loreto and into the La Giganta mountain range this weekend.